Slay My Shadow

A few kilometers outside Konoha, Kakashi was being carried on the back of an Anbu and was heading quickly towards the village.

Exhausted, Kakashi glanced at the dozen or so people around him and sighed.

Kakashi still remembers the feeling he had when he first realized the gap between himself and Yichen back in Iwagakure.

At the time, his skills were still developing, and he believed that with time, he could gradually narrow the gap between the two of them.

But, alas.

Kakashi's strength has long since reached the Kage Level, and he has passed the period of rapid power improvement, but he still cannot see the limit of Yichen's strength.

Kakashi sighed again. This time, he didn't even get to see Yichen's face before collapsing to the ground, unable to move.

Despite this, Kakashi survived thanks to Shisui Uchiha's desperate use of Susanoo to protect him and a dozen other lucky individuals.

The other twenty-odd ninjas that Shisui Uchiha couldn't rescue in time are now all dead, not even ashes remain.

Thinking of Shisui Uchiha, Kakashi's mood became even more depressed.

All that diligent training is so that we won't have to watch our comrades sacrifice themselves for us anymore, right?

But now, although we haven't seen Shisui Uchiha 'Shisui Uchiha fate, it's easy to guess that he's likely to die this time.

He twice in his life had his comrades sacrifice themselves for him, and both of them were Uchiha.

Hopefully, Shisui Uchiha can utilize his Body Flicker Technique to quickly escape after blocking the enemy.

Kakashi was unaware that Yichen hadn't come alone; he had brought two Mangekyo Uchiha with him.

Kakashi understood one thing: he had already fled in disarray, Konoha Root had no chance of sending reinforcements to confront Yichen directly.

Hearing Kakashi's sigh, the Aburame Clan ninja who had first spotted the enemy said, "Lord Kakashi, you've done your best."

"If it weren't for your Ninjutsu, none of us would have survived. Demon God Statue wouldn't have had a chance to save us."

He had been close to Shisui Uchiha because he needed to report to Kakashi, and luckily survived.

Kakashi didn't answer, but instead asked, "Has the Tsuchikage caught up?"

The Aburame Clan ninja shook his head and said, "No. I released a large number of Kikaichū behind me, and there are quite a few in the air as well, but so far, there has been no reaction at all."

"The Tsuchikage shouldn't be chasing us, unless he deliberately took a detour to avoid my Kikaichū."

Kakashi nodded with some doubt. Taking a detour was out of the question and completely unnecessary.

"Could it be that Shisui Uchiha successfully stalled the Tsuchikage?"

Before Kakashi could figure it out, a green figure suddenly appeared in front of him.

Might Guy approached Kakashi and the others at an astonishing speed; even before he arrived, his passionate voice rang in their ears.

"Kakashi, you look pathetic. What happened to your youth? Let's ignite it together!"

Although Might Guy was saying nonsensical things, he immediately moved past everyone and stood behind them, facing the direction they had come from.

"Kakashi, where are your enemies?" Might Guy asked after seeing that no one was behind him.

Kakashi, who had already stopped, couldn't see Might Guy because of his posture, so he didn't say anything.

The Aburame Clan ninja said, "Lord Guy, the enemy hasn't pursued us; it's just that Lord Shun stayed behind to cover our retreat."

Just as Guy was about to step forward again, Kakashi said, "Guy, don't go. It's too late, and the opponent is the Tsuchikage. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

Kai hesitated for a moment, then turned and asked, "Is Shisui Uchiha?"

Kakashi nodded and said, "Yes, he saved us using the Mangekyou Sharingan's Susanoo technique."

"I was exhausted from using my Dōjutsu, so he chose to stay behind to cover our retreat."

Upon hearing this, Might Guy fell silent, knowing that Kakashi's words, asking him to give up on Shisui Uchiha, must have been more painful than anyone else's.

The others understood Kakashi's feelings. They had been saved by Shisui Uchiha, but they didn't even have the right to stay and help Shisui Uchiha delay the enemy.

Then, everyone fell silent and ran headlong toward Konoha.

Before long, the group encountered the other reinforcements that Might Guy had left behind.

After the two groups met, they headed towards Konoha together.

Upon returning to Konoha, Kakashi was immediately taken away by men sent by Danzo.

Might Guy wanted to stop him, but Kakashi stopped him, as he did need to give Danzo a proper report on the mission.

Kakashi was carried away by a Root ninja, and he was treated fairly well.

Konoha currently has too few top-tier shinobi. Even Danzo cannot push these shinobi too far.

Therefore, although the Root member would not obey Kakashi's orders, they still showed him a certain degree of respect.

Kakashi was quickly taken to the Hokage's Office by the Root ninjas.

Kakashi and his Danzo already knew that the operation had failed and that he had fallen into the Tsuchikage.

Might Guy and the others were sent by Danzo, but Danzo was not yet aware of the details of the battle.

Danzo initially thought that Orochimaru was the one provoking Konoha, so he sent out ninjas specifically targeting Orochimaru.

Many of the ninjas who went with Kakashi at that time were skilled in Sealing Jutsu, specifically to seal the Reanimated Body of the First and Second Hokage.

Danzo also prepared various methods to deal with the Giant Snake Summoning Beast.

But the result was Yichen. Not only were Yichen's fighting styles completely different from Orochimaru's, but Yichen's ability to fly alone allowed him to ignore ordinary ninjas.

"Kakashi, I want to know where Shisui Uchiha is?" Danzo's voice was filled with anger and murderous intent.

Kakashi was placed on a chair, but he was so weak that he couldn't even adjust to a more comfortable position.

He could only weakly reply, "Lord Hokage, my mission failed. We were no match for the Tsuchikage, Shisui Uchiha stayed behind to cover our retreat."

Danzo fist on the table and demanded, "Where are Shisui Uchiha's eyes? Why weren't you taken back? They belonged to the village! You just left them to the Tsuchikage like that?"

Kakashi remained silent; he couldn't be bothered to argue with Danzo about it.

Shisui Uchiha took the initiative to delay the enemy, so Kakashi would never have asked him to gouge out his eyes.

Moreover, without the Mangekyō Sharingan, how could Shisui Uchiha face the Tsuchikage? Could he even delay the enemy's attack?

Moreover, after experiencing Obito Uchiha his eyes and give them to him, Kakashi never wanted to go through the same thing again.

Danzo Kakashi remain silent, Danzo grew even angrier. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Shisui Uchiha's eyes were spoils of war from the village's suppression of the Uchiha Clan rebellion!"

"These precious Mangekyō Sharingan were only temporarily entrusted to Shisui Uchiha, and now you and Shisui Uchiha have just lost them like this?"

"Kakashi Hatake, can you bear this responsibility?"

That's true. If we disregard the fact that Danzo stole Shisui Uchiha's eyes, then there's absolutely nothing wrong with what he said.

That said, Danzo had not yet successfully transplanted Shisui Uchiha's eyes into himself after obtaining them.

The main reason is that research on First Hokage's Cells is still somewhat lacking.

Unlike the original story where Orochimaru helped him, in this life, Danzo could only rely on the researchers from Root.

Of course, after Danzo became Hokage, all the researchers in Konoha worked for him.

Unfortunately, research with Orochimaru and research without Orochimaru are two different things.

Danzo successfully transplanted the body of White Zetsu clone, but he was unable to withstand the pressure from Shisui Uchiha's Mangekyou Mangekyo.

Normally, Sealing Jutsu have to be used to suppress it.

Danzo originally intended to store Fugaku Uchiha's Mangekyou Sharingan in Shisui Uchiha's body. In case his own Mangekyou Sharingan techniques were exhausted one day, he would have a backup.

Of course, this was also because the village lacked top-tier combat power and needed Shisui Uchiha.

That's why Danzo has been so slow to reclaim the eyes that belong to him.

Kakashi said, "Lord Hokage, I am willing to accept any punishment."

Danzo was waiting for these words, and he said, "Kakashi Hatake, you failed in your important mission, causing enormous losses to the village."

"I have decided to strip you of your freedom and place the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal' upon you. Do you have any objections?"

Kakashi's heart skipped a beat. After hesitating for two seconds, he nodded.

Just then, the door to the Hokage's Office was suddenly pushed open.

Hiruzen Sarutobi walked in with a frown and said, "Danzo, you've gone too far. Kakashi is an excellent ninja of the village and the inheritor of the Will of Fire. You can't do this."

Hiruzen Sarutobi didn't have a particularly close relationship with Kakashi.

However, Kakashi is the most suitable candidate for the Seventh Hokage; he can't become a heartless tool who only knows how to complete tasks.

Danzo ignored Hiruzen Sarutobi and continued to look at Kakashi, asking calmly yet with murderous intent, "Kakashi Hatake, are you going to back out?"

Kakashi paused for a moment, naturally understanding what Hiruzen Sarutobi meant by "the successor of the Will of Fire."

But in the end, he said, "Lord Hokage, I am willing to accept any punishment."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi glared at Kakashi with a look of utter disappointment.

Danzo then turned his gaze to Hiruzen Sarutobi and said, "Hiruzen, remember, I am the Hokage."

Upon hearing this, Hiruzen Sarutobi was so speechless that he couldn't utter a single word.

In the end, he could only slam the door in anger and leave, leaving behind the words, "Danzo, you'll regret this!"

After Hiruzen Sarutobi left, Danzo, feeling extremely relieved, personally placed the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal Danzo Kakashi.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, even you, Hiruzen, have such a powerless day. I overestimated you before."

"From now on, it'll be my turn to take the initiative in our relationship."

When he thought of something exciting, Danzo's usually expressionless face broke into a smile of excitement and anticipation.

Once the Cursed Tongue Eradication Seal was complete, Danzo said, "Kakashi, from today onwards, your codename is A! You will only obey my orders!"

Kakashi laboriously accepted the mask Danzo offered, put it on, and said, "Yes, Lord Hokage!"

Just then, the door to the Hokage's Office was pushed open again, and a blond-haired kid rushed in once more.

"Grandpa Hokage, I, Naruto Uzumaki, challenge you to a duel! I want to become..."

Before Naruto Uzumaki could finish his boastful words, he bumped headfirst into the chair Kakashi was sitting in.

As Naruto Uzumaki knocked Kakashi down, he also covered his face and cried out in pain.

Naruto Uzumaki looked at the white-haired, Masked Man lying motionless on the ground and said, "Grandpa Hokage, you're despicable! You actually set up an ambush!"

"I was careless today; I didn't dodge. I, the Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki, will be back next time."

After saying Naruto Uzumaki Fenghuo off again, and throughout the entire process, no one else said a word.

Kakashi, face to face, couldn't see Naruto Uzumaki. Hearing Naruto Uzumaki's voice, a thought stirred within him, "Naruto Uzumaki? Is he Sensei's child? Has he grown so much?"

"She's very lively, just like her teacher's wife Kushina!"

Naruto Uzumaki came and went in a flash, ruining Danzo's good mood in just a few seconds.

The last thing Danzo wants to hear right now is the title "Seventh Hokage".

"A, after you're done, go back and recover from your injuries. Once you're healed, you can become Naruto Uzumaki's tutor."

Originally, Danzo strictly forbade weaklings like Kakashi, who belonged to Hiruzen Sarutobi's faction, from getting close to Naruto Uzumaki.

But now that Kakashi is an A-rank, he can naturally guide Naruto Uzumaki.

Anyway Naruto Uzumaki's talent, he didn't want to teach him personally.

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi remained lying on the ground, his voice devoid of emotion.

Danzo lightly and waved his hand. Immediately, two Root appeared and helped Kakashi up.

Danzo said, "Kami, tell me about today's battle."

"Yes, Lord Hokage." Kakashi recounted the events without any emotion.

After listening, Danzo's face darkened, and he said, "Men, prepare for battle. If the Tsuchikage doesn't give me an explanation, I'll start a war with the Iwa ninja."

Kakashi was quickly taken to Konoha Hospital.

Danzo was alone in the Hokage's Office. His earlier anger had subsided. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "Someone, Sasuke Uchiha."

Within the Land of Fire, at the junction of the Ninja World and the Kamui Space, after another half day, the passage is finally about to close.

As the passage grew smaller and smaller, Yichen became somewhat anxious, because Atsumi Akino had not yet set up the Flying Thunder God Coordinates within the Kamui Space.

At first, Yichen was able to lend a hand, but later, Atsumi Akino devoted herself entirely to studying the Space-Time changes during the channel's restoration process.

Yichen couldn't bear to disturb her and hadn't had a chance to remind Atsumi Akino.

The space is getting smaller and smaller; it looks like people will soon be unable to get in.

Just as Yichen sighed inwardly, intending to give up setting coordinates in the Kamui Space, Atsumi Akino suddenly took out a palm-sized iron plate from her storage bag.

She carefully carved on the iron plate for a while, then threw the plate into the now half-meter-square passage, where it landed in the Kamui Space.

After doing all this, Atsumi Akino finally let out a long breath and stretched her body.

Yichen looked at the iron plate in the Kamui Space and said to Atsumi Akino, "Akino? Is that your Flying Thunder God symbol drawn on it?"

Atsumi Akino nodded and said, "Yes, Teacher Yichen, this is the simplified Flying Thunder God Mark I've created. This is the final version, and it will look like this from now on."

Yichen stared blankly at the Great Fireball pattern on the iron plate in the Kamui Space for a few seconds, then said, "It's so small, it's no different from Senju Tobirama's or Minato Namikaze's."

Atsumi Akino smiled confidently and said, "There is indeed no difference in size, but I heard that the Fourth Hokage could simply tap the spot where he needed to inscribe the Flying Thunder God to set the mark."

"I'm afraid I'll never be able to do that."

Yichen remained silent. Indeed, this ability was like Seal-less Ninjutsu, or the ability to quickly Hand Seals.

Atsumi Akino's talent in this area was far too lacking, Yichen had never really expected anything from her.

However, one thing that can be practiced is the speed of teleportation.

So Yichen asked, "Do you need to Hand Seals to Flying Thunder God now? Does it take a long time?"

Upon hearing this, Atsumi Akino immediately smiled and said, "Teacher Yichen, you've definitely improved in this area too."

She glanced at the slowly closing passage and said, "There's still time, we can give it a try."

As she spoke, she took out another iron plate, preparing to draw on it, but Yichen stopped her.

Yichen handed Atsumi Akino a Kunai and said, "Try drawing on this."

Atsumi Akino nodded, took the Kunai, twirled it in her hand, and then chose a side to begin drawing.

A moment later, Atsumi Akino finished drawing and threw the Kunai at a large tree lying on the ground some distance away.

After watching the Kunai embed itself into the ground beside the tree, Yichen and Atsumi Akino.

Yichen asked, "Akino, have you not experienced any battles all these years?"

Atsumi Akino and nodded shyly.

She wasn't particularly talented at the Ninja Academy, but even with her poor grades, she still possessed the basic ninja skill of throwing a Kunai.

However, she has not experienced combat since leaving Yichen's Team Five squad.

She was protected by special Anbu arranged by the village when she came and went, so she didn't need to worry about her safety.

She was used to using a pen for research, and had long since forgotten how to use Kunai.

Yichen patted her shoulder and said, "Alright, this wasn't your strong suit anyway, don't worry about it."

Atsumi Akino breathed a sigh of relief. She composed herself and then began to Hand Seals.

This time, Yichen saw it clearly: Atsumi Akino only formed one hand seal, and then she disappeared from the spot.

In an instant, Atsumi Akino appeared beside the Kunai in the distance.

Yichen nodded. Compared to before, Atsumi Akino's progress was terrifying.

However, it's simply impossible to use her in actual combat. Putting aside everything else, just looking at how she was glancing around after appearing on the Kunai, Yichen would absolutely not dare to let her go out to fight.

Yichen raised his hand and used a Banshō Ten'in to pull the Kunai into his hand.

Atsumi Akino understood Yichen's meaning, Hand Seals again, and then reappeared beside Yichen.

Yichen thought for a moment and said, "Akino, after we return to the village, make more of these Flying Thunder God Kunai engraved with your mark."

"The more the better. I'll hide them all over the Ninja World for when we need them."

Atsumi Akino nodded and said, "Understood."

After thinking for a moment, Yichen added, "One more thing: when you get back, make sure to spend more time practicing the Flying Thunder God. This Ninjutsu is incredibly useful."

"Although you can't fight like Minato Namikaze, you can still be surprisingly effective in crucial moments."

Atsumi Akino immediately said, "Don't worry, Teacher Yichen, I guarantee I'll complete the mission."

Yichen smiled and said, "The passage is about to close. Is there anything else to study?"

Atsumi Akino said, "We've researched everything we could, but I want to experience the changes in Space-Time the instant the passage completely closes."

Yichen nodded and stopped talking, then began to wait with Atsumi Akino.

Before long, the passage was completely closed. Yichen didn't sense any change, but Atsumi Akino was beside him, seemed to be deep in thought.

After a while, when Atsumi Akino came to her senses, Yichen asked, "How was it? Did you get anything?"

Atsumi Akino shook her head, then nodded, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I can't really explain it. I want to take advantage of the moment the passage closes to find out how to communicate with that space."

"But the time was too short. Although there were indeed some strange fluctuations for a moment, I couldn't grasp them."

Yichen said, "Never mind, communicating with that space is an ability of Obito Uchiha's Mangekyō Sharingan Dōjutsu."

"The Mangekyou Sharingan's eye techniques are special abilities that allow one to touch upon the realm of a sage; they are not something you can easily master. It's okay if you don't understand them for now."

"By the way, can we still sense that Flying Thunder God Mark?"

Atsumi Akino nodded and said, "I can sense it, but it feels so far away, far beyond my teleportation limits. I dare not try."

Yichen nodded and said, "Then let's keep it for now; we might need it someday."

After saying this, Yichen looked around and continued, "Alright, things are settled here, let's go back to the village."

"This time I've really angered Danzo. I need to get back to the village quickly and figure out a way to appease this warmonger."

The current Iwa ninja are not afraid of Konoha, but Yichen needs to maintain this peaceful environment. This is the strategic direction of Iwagakure, Yichen does not want to change it easily.

Yichen used Porcelain Release, about to take Atsumi Akino flying.

Atsumi Akino thought for a moment and said, "Teacher Yichen, if you're in a hurry, I can try to use Flying Thunder God Technique directly."

Yichen's heart skipped a beat. That's right, the current Atsumi Akino Flying Thunder God, which is much faster than his own flight.

So Yichen said, "Are you confident you can teleport people?"

Atsumi Akino said, "I've tried teleporting people before, and it worked fine. It's just that this place is a bit far from the village, so I need to sense it carefully."

Yichen said, "We don't need to go to the village, just go to the nearest branch."

Atsumi Akino nodded, and then she began to sense.

A moment later, Atsumi Akino had Yichen place one hand on her shoulder, and then she began to Hand Seals.

Flying Thunder God Technique!

Yichen felt a blur before his eyes, and his surroundings changed.

Looking around, Yichen realized that this was the Former Northwestern Land of Fire, now a branch of the Iwa ninja.

Yichen and Atsumi Akino were standing on the branch's secret Teleportation Array.